#FFI15: Do Hong Phuong

Nutrition Policy Specialist at UNICEF, Viet Nam

FFI: How is your country prioritizing fortification?

Do: UNICEF successfully used scientific evidence of deficiencies in the community and its negative impacts on public health and advocated to the national Assembly and Government to regulate mandatory food fortification.

FFI: What are the greatest challenges you have encountered in planning or implementing fortification programs? And how did you address those challenges?

Do: Weak enforcement of laws and sub-law documents by the Government is the greatest challenge in planning or implementing fortification programs.  This also leads to weak compliance by the companies.  These issues should be addressed at the same time that means advocacy through different channels for the Government and relevant ministries to allocate appropriate resources to ensure the enforcement of the law and regulations.  At the same time, it is important to raise awareness of the private sector on the importance of food fortification on the public health and their responsibility to comply with the regulations.

FFI: What can we do, as a society, to continue raising the fortification efforts?

Do: Strengthen communication for behavior change for industries and raise awareness and capacity for the government in implementing the law and regulations.  At the same time, it is important to communicate and raise awareness for customers to become “wise customers.”